PORTSMOUTH —The Memorial Bridge will be closed for five days in April for much needed repair work.

The lift bridge will be closed to vehicle and marine traffic from Monday, April 21 at 7 a.m. to Saturday, April 26 at 7 a.m.

Lane closures on the bridge will also be a part of the project and will be in effect between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. during the week before and week after the full closure.

State Department of Transportation officials will use message boards to alert motorists to the bridge closures. During the closure, the navigational channel on the Piscataqua River will remain open to small marine vessels that do not require a bridge lift.

The contractor for the project is SPS New England Inc., and the cost of the project will be $448,000.

According to Bob Landry, project manager for the N.H. DOT, the bridge requires immediate replacement of three cables connected to the counterweight, which will result in the temporary closing. State officials have also slated at least two other closures within the next few years.

The $51 million, bridge-replacement project aims to completely correct all of the maintenance issues involved in the bridge that was placed at the top of the New Hampshire's "red list."